It used to be that 21 was the age of majority, but it was possible even for a white 21-year-old to be bound to some sort of indentured service (usually paid, for white folks, but still). So if you were free, white, and twenty-one, you were entitled to do whatever you damn pleased -- you could sign contracts, own land, vote, etc., etc. Recall that representation in the government was originally determined by counting the whole number of free persons and three-fifths of all other persons. When that article was amended, and the odious 3/5 compromise went away, the whiteness of a free 21-year-old became legally much less relevant -- but the phrase stuck around, the implication being a relic of the old fact that only those who were free, white, and 21 (and male, of course, but somehow that never entered into it) were full citizens.
Some time in the past few years -- I remember, this was on television -- some politician in (I believe) Florida was doing a classroom visit and the first-graders were asking all those sort of first-grade questions; and one of the questions had to do with who was allowed to become [senator, governor, whatever]. And the guy said "Oh, anyone can do it. Anyone at all. Just gotta be free, white, and twenty-one. -- No, you don't have to be white anymore, I guess." I mean. It was literally a fraction of a second between his saying it and his correcting himself, which showed that he didn't actually believe non-white citizens were inferior in any way -- but the phrase was there in his language, which showed that (at least when he was growing up) the phrase remained current, even though by then it must have been absolutely irrelevant.
I don't think "free, white, and twenty-one" is as offensive as "that's mighty white of you" (in the non-ironic sense that most of us were talking about). That is, it refers to the same outdated and offensive ideas, but I think of the phrase itself as so outdated that it's hard for me to believe anyone could use it sincerely today.
All language is full of such idioms, though. We speak of Dutch courage and taking French leave and whatnot; the French for "French leave" is "running like a Dutchman". And in French a bad tipper is called an Englishman.
See also: Mexican carwash; Chinese fire drill; Russian roulette; Indian giver. But at other times, people take offense where none is actually to be found -- see Michael Steele's hysteria over someone's use of the word "slavishly"; someone else's hysteria over someone else's use of the word "denigrate"; I've known people of Scottish ancestry who would get bugged if you talked about scotching a plan, which, hi, not a thing to do with Scotland or the Scots in any way.
no subject
Some time in the past few years -- I remember, this was on television -- some politician in (I believe) Florida was doing a classroom visit and the first-graders were asking all those sort of first-grade questions; and one of the questions had to do with who was allowed to become [senator, governor, whatever]. And the guy said "Oh, anyone can do it. Anyone at all. Just gotta be free, white, and twenty-one. -- No, you don't have to be white anymore, I guess." I mean. It was literally a fraction of a second between his saying it and his correcting himself, which showed that he didn't actually believe non-white citizens were inferior in any way -- but the phrase was there in his language, which showed that (at least when he was growing up) the phrase remained current, even though by then it must have been absolutely irrelevant.
I don't think "free, white, and twenty-one" is as offensive as "that's mighty white of you" (in the non-ironic sense that most of us were talking about). That is, it refers to the same outdated and offensive ideas, but I think of the phrase itself as so outdated that it's hard for me to believe anyone could use it sincerely today.
All language is full of such idioms, though. We speak of Dutch courage and taking French leave and whatnot; the French for "French leave" is "running like a Dutchman". And in French a bad tipper is called an Englishman.
See also: Mexican carwash; Chinese fire drill; Russian roulette; Indian giver. But at other times, people take offense where none is actually to be found -- see Michael Steele's hysteria over someone's use of the word "slavishly"; someone else's hysteria over someone else's use of the word "denigrate"; I've known people of Scottish ancestry who would get bugged if you talked about scotching a plan, which, hi, not a thing to do with Scotland or the Scots in any way.
Isn't language fun. :-)